(Camellia, Sasanqua , White Dove Sasanqua)

Warm days, cool nights - fall and it’s time to look for the colorful blooming jewels of Camellia sasanqua. These evergreen shrubs don’t get as much attention as their more popular cousin, the large-flowered common Japanese camellia, but they should. Native to Japan, sasanquas, as they are known to garden enthusiasts, have a long history of use for tea, oil and ornament.

The dwarf, variegated cultivar ‘White Doves’ has a low, spreading habit. Its glossy, dark-green leaves are have white...

(Tea, Tea Camellia)

The leaves and buds of this evergreen Chinese tree are the source of the favorite beverage, tea. If left unpruned, a mature tree can reach a substantial size and typically has an upright habit and spreading crown. When grown for tea production, tea trees are severely pruned on a regular basis to keep them short and shrubby for easy harvest and heavier leaf production.

Tea trees have dark green, oval leaves that are leathery, glossy and have tiny teeth on the edges. Their central rib, or vein,...

(Rose Tea, Tea, Tea Camellia)

Blooming with pretty, pale-pink, fragrant flowers in autumn, ‘Rosea’ is a selection of its far more famous parent, the white-flowering camellia that gives us tea leaves. An evergreen tree with an upright to spreading habit, the parent species is native to China. When grown ornamentally (or yes, even for tea production), the plants are pruned to keep them in shrub-like form. Keep in mind that all tea plants, including ‘Rosea,’ are very slow growing.

This camellia has leathery, dark green, glossy...

(Vernal Camellia)

Vernal camellia is a long-lived evergreen shrub believed to be derived from a natural cross between Camellia japonica and C. sasanqua. Its evergreen leaves are glossy, dark green and elliptical, and its bark is smooth and gray. It has many cultivars, which display a variety of single, semi-double or double blossoms in various shades of pink, red-violet or white. These open after the fall-flowering sasanquas but before the winter-blooming common Japanese camellias.

Vernal camellias...

(Egao Camellia, Vernal Camellia)

The delicate pink flowers of 'Egao' vernal camellia are especially pretty. Each bloom is punctuated with a cluster of vivid yellow stamens. In Japanese, "egao" means "smiling face" and aptly describes its cheery blossoms.

Vernal camellia is a long-lived evergreen shrub believed to be derived from a natural cross between Camellia japonica and C. sasanqua. Its evergreen leaves are glossy, dark green and elliptical, and its bark is smooth and gray. Flowering occurs after the fall-flowering...

(Hiryu Camellia, Vernal Camellia)

The red, semi-double flowers of the fall-blooming 'Hiryu' much resemble shape of a Camellia sasanqua bloom. The petals often are rippled and may have deeply curved indentations.

Vernal camellia is a long-lived evergreen shrub believed to be derived from a natural cross between Camellia japonica and C. sasanqua. Its evergreen leaves are glossy, dark green and elliptical, and its bark is smooth and gray. Flowering occurs after the fall-flowering sasanquas but before...

(Star Above Star Camellia, Vernal Camellia)

The delicate petals of 'Star Above Star' are gently spoon shaped. Overall, its blooms are semi-double and range in color from white to lavender-pink.

Vernal camellia is a long-lived evergreen shrub believed to be derived from a natural cross between Camellia japonica and C. sasanqua. Its evergreen leaves are glossy, dark green and elliptical, and its bark is smooth and gray. Flowering occurs a little after the fall-flowering sasanquas but before the winter-blooming Japanese...

(Vernal Camellia, Yuletide Camellia)

Fittingly named, 'Yuletide' blooms from late autumn to winter and produces single red flowers with a large, prominent cluster of yellow stamens in the center. The buds open a few at a time so that during the course of a frosty winter, not all flowers will be potentially lost.

Vernal camellia is a long-lived evergreen shrub believed to be derived from a natural cross between Camellia japonica and C. sasanqua. Its evergreen leaves are glossy, dark green and elliptical, and its...

(William's Camellia)

The camellia is a tender, broadleaf, evergreen shrub much prized in warm climates for its abundant, showy flowers and glossy, shapely leaves. Camellia x williamsii is a hybrid between the Asian species Camellia japonica and Camellia saluenensis. The hybridization of these two plants was first made by J. C. Williams of Caerhays Castle in Cornwall in the early 1920s.

The beautiful camellias that resulted from this cross are generally quite hardy, large, and produce...

(Angel Wings Camellia, William's Camellia)

The Angel Wings camellia is a tender, broadleaf evergreen shrub beloved in mild climates for its delicate pale orchid pink flowers and glossy, shapely leaves. This hybrid between Camellia japonica 'Dr. Tinsley' and Camellia saluenensis originated at Kramer's Bros. Nursery, Upland, California, before 1970. The hybridization of these two camellia species was first made by J. C. Williams of Caerhays Castle in Cornwall in the early 1920s.

Like most other Camellia × williamsii...